Vegetable Manchurian

Vegetable Manchurian is a Indo-Chinese variety served as an appetizer. There are 2 methods for this preparation : (1) Dry version which can be served as an appetizer (2) Gravy version which can be served with fried rice as a side dish.
I am posting here the dry version.

Ingredients:
Potato - 1
Carrot -1
Cabbage - 1/2 cup
Capsicum - 1/2 piece
Cauliflower - 1/2
Onion - 1
Green chillies - 3/4
Spring Onions
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1tsp
Cooked rice - 1 bowl ( should be cold)
Olive Oil
Soy sauce - 2/3 tsps
Chilli sauce - 3/4 tsps
Corn flour
Salt
Pepper powder
Ajinamoto - pinch

Method :
1. Grate Potato,carrot,cabbage and finely slice capsicum. ( I didn't have normal carrots, so I used the frozen carrot peas).
2. In a wide pan, take some water and bring it to a boil. Once the water starts bubbling, add all the vegetables to the water and steam cook them for 10-15mins in a medium flame.
3. Meanwhile finely chop the onions, green chillies and spring onions.
4. Once the vegetables are done, take them to a vessel and add salt. Leave it for 5-10mins until it cools down.
5. Meanwhile in a deep frying pan, add oil upto 1 inch and start heating.
6. Now, squeeze the water from the vegetable mixture by crushing with both hands tightly. Keep the liquid aside so that you can use it during the preparation. Make sure the vegetable mixture is totally dry. It should not be moist at all, otherwise you will not be able to make the balls.

NOTE : If the mixture is still moist, add to the muxture a bowl of cooked rice. This will help you make the balls without breaking.

7. Once the oil is hot (make sure it is not too hot), drop the balls one by one slowly and make sure they don't touch each other. Fry the balls until they are equally brown on all sides. Take them aside and place them on a paper towel so that it takes out excess oil.


8. In a saute pan, add 2 tbsps olive oil, add chopped onions, green chillies, ginger garlic paste and saute for few mins until the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears. Add pinch of turmeic.
9. Add the soy sauce, chilli sauce and ajinamoto and stir for 2mins until the raw smell goes off.
10. Now add the dumplings to the sauce mixture, stir slowly for 1-2mins and turn off the gas. Now sprinkle chopped spring onions when it's still hot.


Few Tips:
1. The above is the dry version. And if anyone wants the gravy version of it, all you have to do is few more additional steps after step 10. Keep the sauce mixture in simmer in low-medium flame. Take a spoonful of cornflour, add water and make a thin paste/liquid mixture. See to it no lumps are formed. Add to the mixture chilli sauce, pepper powder, grated ginger and add this to the simmering sauce and keep stirring it until it becomes thick. Make sure that the flame/heat is low to avoid lumps of the corn flour mixture. Add water if needed and finally add the dumplings.

2. If the mixture is still moist even after mixing it with rice, just dab the balls in bread crumbs before frying. The dumplings will not break by doing so.

[ Bread Crumbs are available in any grocery store. Otherwise, you can toast the bread and crush it with your hand]